About Us

The RunUltra Tribe

Steve Diederich
Founder and Managing Director

Steve is the leader and founder of our tribe and is passionate about ultras. Steve is a marketing professional who has worked in a variety of Marketing Director roles in the UK travel industry including Thomas Cook, Kuoni, Travelzest and Sunmed.

If Steve is not out leading events for runners he's planning other ones and is an active member and mover and shaker of the ultra running global community.

Steve's vision drives us forward and his role and primary goal is to support the team to deliver the best possible experience for our RunUltra members and race organisers.

James Eacott
Online Communications and Editor

James writes our regular email newsletters and ensures that our RunUltra members are kept up to speed on the latest trends, reviews and articles about ultra running. James is also a keen ultra runner and has been getting some pretty impressive placings in his recent ultras.

Here are a few words from James about his passion for running:

I’ve always been a keen sportsman at school, playing most team sports, but it was at Exeter University that I developed a love for the intense training regime that came with rowing for the 1st VIII.

Upon graduating with a degree in Geography in 2008, I needed to fill the gap that rowing left. I took up long distance running and never looked back, entering the Atacama Crossing before having run even a half marathon. It was a traumatic yet truly wonderful experience. Over the course of that race, my eyes were opened to a world of fascinating people and breathtaking environments. The limits of human performance had been questioned, and this left me gagging to find my own boundaries. The Atacama has led me to ultras around the world, from the Andes (Jungle Ultra) and Amazon basin (Jungle Marathon) to the Himalayas (Everest Trail Race) and multiple 100 milers in the UK (North Downs Way 100).

After 4 years of little else but running, I had a desire to shake up my training so began competing in triathlons and was fortunate to represent GB at the Age Group level at the World Championships. I now mix ultra marathons with triathlons, because I clearly didn’t have enough on my plate as it was. I find they actually complement each other rather well.

Adz has quickly established himself as an expert on social media. After proving his abilities at Hampton & Richmond Borough Football club, he joined hotels4u.com before taking up a challenging role as Social Media Manager for Thomas Cook UK. We love Adz for his unrelenting passion & knowledge of digital media.

Here’s more from the man himself on his life and career to date:

KFC. For most folk, those three letters conjure up an image of freshly cooked, slightly greasy chicken. For me, it’s a constant reminder that I can achieve anything I desire.
There’s no getting away from the fact that social media is probably one of life’s greatest treasures. Rapid technology change only serves to inspire & fascinate me and it’s this requirement to keep learning that spurs me on.

When I have free time, I’m often getting snap-happy with my digital camera, reading randomly purchased books, cycling around parks or building over-priced (but hugely enjoyable) Lego sets. After all, we’re all big kids really!

It’s my love for nature & quest for new challenges that convinced me that RunUltra was the place to be. There clearly is a small but hard-core fan-base who value ultra running more than anything in this world and that truly is inspirational.

So in a nutshell, that’s me. I can’t wait to speak with you on our social media channels but feel free to say hi on my own Twitter feed to: @AdzFlowers (It’ll prove you’ve read this far at least).

Oh, and in case you were wondering:
K - Know what you want
F - Find out if you’re getting it
C - Change what you’re doing.

Luke Jarmey
Community Manager

Luke is our Chief Listener for runners and is their relationship manager. Luke's role is to build our active RunUltra member base and reach out to the communities of runners across the internet. He invites them to connect with us and share reviews on our huge list of ultra events around the world. Luke works closely with Adam on making sure our runners know how they can participate in our online runner communities.

Here's more from Luke about his life story and passion for sports and the outdoors:

Having spent 4 years immersing myself in the ice-covered peaks and forested valleys of Chamonix, France. I'm still doing the same thing, but now basing myself in the Southern Alps of Wanaka, New Zealand.

My passion could be defined as ‘mooching’ my way through the mountains via a variety of mediums; these being Running, Ski Touring and Mountain Biking.

Particular highlights have been ski touring 4000m peaks such as the Gran Paradiso and the Bishorn, climbing and skiing various couloirs around the Mont Blanc Massif and exploring the wild and comparably remote mountains of the Southern Alps, New Zealand.

Alice Morrison
Writer and Editor

Alice has joined RunUltra as a writer and editor for the articles and reviews that are posted on the website and in the newsletter. Her background is as a journalist in magazines, on TV news and online. In 2011, she stepped off the corporate treadmill to race across Africa on a bike and she is now pursuing a career as an adventure writer.

This is what she has to tell us:

I came to running really late when I decided to run the Marathon des Sables in 2014. I hadn’t even run a marathon when I signed up and “reluctant” would best describe my approach to my morning training. So, my first marathon was actually an ultra and I found that I relished the adventure of the long miles.

I love it best when it is just me and my trainers out in the wild somewhere. I am never going to be a great runner, or even a good one, but I can endure a lot of pain, so enjoy the longer events. I also found it to be a really welcoming community, with a fantastic sense of the absurd.

My aim at RunUltra is to work with our team of contributors to make our content absolutely brilliant!

Fiona Outdoors
Writer

Fiona does a sterling job of writing many of our kit reviews and she really puts the kit to the test.

Few people use Fiona’s proper surname because she is known as Fiona Outdoors. Fiona is based in Scotland and loves everything about the great outdoors.

Fiona’s love of sports includes trail and hill running, road cycling, mountain biking, triathlon (to World Age Group level), skiing, Munro bagging and anything else that someone invites her to try.

Here’s a bit of background from Fiona herself:

I was an office-based press journalist for almost 20 years and for the last decade I have been a freelance journalist and blogger.

I feel very fortunate because I get to write about my hobbies for a range of outlets, including traditional media and, increasingly, digital magazines, websites and blogs.

I have been testing all kinds of sports and outdoors products for about a decade and I love the technical side of new kit. I also like to make sure it is thoroughly tested and reviewed so that other people know what they are buying. I offer an independent view of products based on my experience and knowledge.

You might imagine that I have one of the best life-work balances there is and you’d be right – although I work very hard at it.

Sarah Cooke
Social Community & Event Listings Manager

Sarah plays a key role in supporting our social team to network and build relationships with runners via our social channels. She also manages our race listings and communication with race organisers.

Sarah is a clinical psychologist who has worked in the NHS for a number of years. During her training, she worked with people of all ages with a wide range of mental and physical health and learning needs. She also writes psychology-based articles for Run Ultra and is a qualified running coach.

Here are a few words from Sarah:

Since qualifying, I have specialised in working with teenagers and young adults with complex mental health difficulties. I have recently left the NHS and am excited to be pursuing new challenges, combining psychology with my love of running.”

I started running in 2013 and discovered my love of the trails and longer distances in 2014/15.

Diana Green
Nutritionist

Diana writes articles on nutrition and different dietary approaches for RunUltra helping runners to ensure that the foods they choose support optimum health and performance.

Spending time traveling around the world exploring markets and working in restaurants led to the exciting discovery of many different foods and how they are incorporated into native diets. Developing an interest in the link between nutrition and the health of populations she went on to study nutritional therapy.

In her own words:

Having always been a keen hiker, cyclist and runner, I started exploring nutrition for athletes when working as a menu designer for fitness camps and the health food sector. Many athletes including runners focus on diet for performance sometimes overlooking long term health as well as changing dietary needs. With the wide availability of ingredients and diversity of food choices, I enjoy the challenge of creating bespoke meal plans to help runners of all levels achieve their full health potential incorporating the foods they love.

I believe that any diet as well as practical and achievable should be enjoyable. There is no need to sacrifice taste for health.

I also hold running training and nutrition camps in the New Forest.

Andy Mouncey
The Bloke Who Writes The Training Plans

Andy is our resident coach who can write a bit as well – and if you’ve downloaded a free training plan from us it’s likely to be one of his. A former record-setting triathlete turned ultrarunner he continues to challenge the signs of aging on the hills of his North Yorkshire home in an attempt to keep below the national average waist size.

When he’s not drafting copy or wrestling with Father Time, he’ll be developing his latest social enterprise venture Run For Your Life – rehabilitating prisoners back into society using running as a catalyst www.runforyourlife.moonfruit.com.

He is a published author – including ‘So You Want To Run An Ultra’ – and an award-winning inspirational speaker who works across sport, business and education. And he is still trying to reach the finish line of The Spine Race…

Kate Allen
Web Adminstrator

Kate is an ultra runner with a passion for the hills and mountains. She lives in the Peak District with her daughter and dog Mac, who accompanies her running. Kate’s background is as an Executive Assistant but she left the City of London in favour of spending more time in the countryside. Kate ran her first marathon at the age of 40, her first ultra at the age of 43 and she hasn’t looked back since.